Network News-Fall 2012 (PDF 1.7Mb) - Canadian Breast Cancer ...

network news
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3
ESSENTIAL NEWS FOR CANADIANS AFFECTED BY BREAST CANCER
new
events
calendar
inside
04: Survivor Story
Linda’s breast cancer
journey
07: Emotional Wellbeing:
Meditation and exercise
help in coping with breast
cancer
10: Healthy Living:
Dragon boating an escape
for breast cancer patients
12: Advocacy:
Why share your breast
cancer story?
14: Treatment Talk:
Oncotype DX: A test to
help breast cancer patients
personalize their treatment
16: Research Roundup:
Research of interest to breast
cancer survivors
19: Clinical Trials:
Recruiting participants
for studies of exercise, art
therapy and counselling
for breast cancer
21: Resource Directory:
Services, seminars, books
for breast cancer survivors

DEPARTMENT
networknews
Volume 16, Number 3, Fall 2012
Network News is published by the Canadian
Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) to provide
the breast cancer community with up-todate
and understandable information on
issues at the national level, to promote
education and awareness, and to highlight
the concerns of Canadians affected by
breast cancer.
We would like to thank the individuals
who wrote articles and the breast cancer
support groups that provided information.
We welcome your ideas, contributions and
letters, subject to editing and available
space. The articles in this issue do not
necessarily represent the views of CBCN but
are the opinions of the authors. CBCN gives
permission to copy with attribution.
“Production of this issue of Network
News has been made possible through
a financial contribution from the Public
Health Agency of Canada. The views
expressed herein do not necessarily
represent the view of the Public Health
Agency of Canada.”
Canadian Breast Cancer Network,
331 Cooper Street, Suite 602,
Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5. Tel.: (613) 230-3044.
1-800-685-8820. Fax: (613) 230-4424.
E-mail: cbcn@cbcn.ca. Website: www.cbcn.ca.
Editors:
Jenn McNeil, Wendy Hall
Staff and Volunteers:
Jenn McNeil,
Operations Manager, jmcneil@cbcn.ca
Rebecca Wilson,
Administrative and Communications Assistant,
rwilson@cbcn.ca
Wendy Hall,
Publications and Office Assistant, whall@cbcn.ca
Lea Castro,
In Memoriam Coordinator Volunteer,
In-memoriam@cbcn.ca
Contributors: Cathy Ammendolea, Cancer Care
Nova Scotia, Oren Cheifetz, Sara Chenault,
Sheila Dong, Linda Edgar, Thandi Fletcher,
Genomic Health, Shawna Ginsberg, Kate Laux,
Rethink Breast Cancer, Adina Rojubally, Linda
Schneidereit, Victoria Steiner, Willow Breast
Cancer Support Canada, Young Adult Cancer
Canada
Translation: Martin Dufresne
Board of Directors
Cathy Ammendolea, Chair, Quebec
Beatrice Bernhardt, Nunavut
Mary Chaffey, Newfoundland
Diana Ermel, Past-Chair, Saskatchewan
Juliette Inglis, Alberta
Beverley Jacobs, Ontario
Suzanne LeBlanc, New Brunswick
Janis Murray, Secretary, British Columbia
Wendy Panagopolous, Nova Scotia
Judy Donovan Whitty, Prince Edward Island
Sharon Young, Vice-Chair, Manitoba
ISSN: 1481-0999 Circulation: 3600
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E-mail: cbcn@cbcn.ca
Subscribe to our e-letter, Outreach!
Outreach is the Canadian Breast Cancer Network’s free e-letter, which
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send an e-mail to cbcn@cbcn.ca or call 1-800-685-8820 to sign up.
2
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Letter from the Chair of the Board of Directors
Dear readers:
Welcome to the new and hopefully improved Network News. We have been
busy reviewing all the great feedback that we received from you in our spring
survey, and we would like to share the results with you.
Overall, the feedback was very positive. The vast majority of respondents agreed that they look forward to
receiving Network News, and you share it with friends and family. You indicated that you also prefer a print
version, which we will continue to produce. Here are some of your comments:
“Very inspiring stories. Nice to learn about what’s happening in other parts of the country.”
“I understand the language used—it’s not over my head.”
“It is helpful for support group/community contact.”
“We don’t always know the questions to ask doctors; your publication addresses a lot of
unanswered questions.”
“Good overview of Canadian initiatives.”
“The articles have given me hope and encouragement.”
Here are some of the changes that readers asked for and that we have made, starting with the current issue.
First, you wanted us to update the design to make the newsletter more like a magazine. Second, you wanted
to see regular features on a range of topics, especially treatments and survivors’ stories. We have responded
by freshening up the design, adding more photographs and instituting different departments on the topics
you asked for. Beginning with this issue, look for Treatment Talk, Research Roundup, Healthy Living,
Emotional Wellbeing, Advocacy, and Survivor’s Story.
We hope you enjoy the new look and content. Write to us with your comments on the newsletter, or send a letter
to the editor for publication in the next issue. Let’s keep the dialogue going with views from across Canada!
Cathy Ammendolea, CBCN Board Chair
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 3

Survivor story
Linda’s breast
cancer journey
Linda in Rome, October 2011
When Linda S. was diagnosed with Stage III infiltrating duct carcinoma breast cancer in 1999,
at age 39, she was totally unprepared. Her reaction? “Shock!” she exclaims. Linda couldn’t
understand how this could have happened to her. After all, she felt she had taken good care
of herself. So, before beginning any treatments, and with her surgeon’s blessing, she sought a
second opinion. Several days later, the diagnosis was confirmed.
Linda went from thinking of herself as a healthy woman to
becoming a patient with a double mastectomy within just 16
days of her initial diagnosis. “It was really hard,” she says. “The
first day after they took off my bandages, I was taking a bath,
and I looked down and thought, ‘I look like a plucked chicken’.”
What was even harder for her was that she was initially given an
approximately 90 percent chance the cancer would recur within
two years.
Then came six rounds of chemotherapy over four months. All
Linda’s blond hair fell out, and her blood count was way down.
The chemotherapy left her so tired that all she could do was lie
on the sofa for the first week to ten days after each treatment. “I
was flat on my back,” she says. “I couldn’t do anything.” And her
nausea was so bad she couldn’t even stand the smell of cooking,
so she was very grateful that friends pitched in to provide her
family with home-cooked meals.
Also during chemotherapy, Linda developed lymphedema. Her
left arm was very sore and swollen. But her surgeon’s assistant
told her it couldn’t possibly be lymphedema because “that
never happens to our patients.” Linda says that, looking back
now, she is annoyed they didn’t offer any support. “The fact that
the surgeon was denying that it could be a problem was very
arrogant,” she says.
During this ordeal, Linda was glad to have a good friend to talk
to. Her husband wasn’t as helpful. “He would say, ‘Let’s go to the
movies to get your mind off things.’ He couldn’t handle hearing
what I was going through,” she says. She also wished that her
husband could have been more supportive in telling their son,
age 8, and their daughter, age 10, about their mother’s illness.
“Breaking the news to them was one of the hardest things,” says
Linda. “My greatest fear was that I wasn’t going to live to see them
grow up.”
Linda completed her treatment at Calgary’s Tom Baker Cancer
Centre in November 1999 and then, in August 2000, she moved
with her husband and two children to Ontario so he could accept
a promotion in his company. “That was just one life stressor on
top of another,” she now says.
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Survivor story
“I wish doctors would develop a technique
that allows women to retain more sensation,
because right now it’s just for aesthetics.”
Linda’s initial prognosis had given her two years to live cancer-free.
But, in 2009, after ten years of checkups, the doctor told her she
didn’t have to see him again. She was cancer-free.
Around that time, Linda decided to finally do something about
the self-image she had been struggling with since her double
mastectomy. For ten years, Linda had been trying to accept her
post-mastectomy body the way it was. At first, she had tried
wearing loose-fitting shirts and lots of vests. Later, she tried
prostheses, but they weren’t very comfortable, and it made
wearing ‘feminine’ clothes a challenge. She says, “I felt my
appearance was a barrier to communication with people I didn’t
know well. I never knew if they were looking at the real me, or if
were just thinking, ‘Oh, poor woman, she had breast cancer’.”
She said her husband had reassured her that she was still
beautiful with her new shape, but she didn’t believe him.
So, when she was 49, Linda began to research reconstructive
surgery. She was advised by two surgeons that, because of her
slim body type, implants were her only option. She found an
excellent surgeon at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto,
and had the three-part procedure (tissue expanders, permanent
implants, and nipple reconstruction) in 2009 and 2010. “But
I made a mistake when I agreed to allow the surgeon to do the
nipple tattoos,” Linda admits. Although excellent at surgery, her
doctor was by no means a professional tattoo artist. A year later,
Linda ended up having to pay to have the colour removed, and
then the tattoos applied properly by a paramedical tattoo artist.
Asked about her one wish for improvements in reconstructive
surgery, Linda says, “I wish doctors would develop a technique
that allows women to retain more sensation, because right now it’s
just for aesthetics.”
Linda says that her experience with cancer, and its aftermath,
was one of the causes of her eventual marriage breakdown in
2011, when she left her husband to start a new life on her own.
She sees this as a positive move, though, because it enabled her
to find a new partner who is better suited to her and who accepts
her as she is. “We weren’t giving each other what we needed,”
she says of her former husband. “Who knows, without the cancer,
we might have just kept on living day to day, not wanting to admit
to ourselves, or each other, how far we’d grown apart, and how
much we were missing out on in our lives.”
Linda counsels other breast cancer patients to ask a lot of
questions of healthcare professionals, at all stages of treatment,
and to persevere until they get good answers. She says not all
healthcare practitioners are equally skilled, so patients need to do
research to find the best care. Self-advocacy can be difficult when
you’re ill, but it’s vital—your health and even your life depend on
it, she says.
Linda also recommends seeking psychological counselling during
the early stages of the breast cancer journey, and later as well
if you need it. “I didn’t do that, but in retrospect, it would have
helped me, and my children, a lot,” she says.
Linda’s experience with breast cancer made her realize that she
has to take chances in life, and do what she wants because no
one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. She also speaks
her mind so people know what she’s thinking. “Cancer has
changed the way some people think about me,” she says. “I get
more respect. For right or wrong,
people look at me and think I’m a
strong woman.”
Note to breast
Now living in London, Ontario,
Linda recently turned 52. She
says that, despite some very
mild lymphedema, “I’m feeling
better than I have ever felt
before in my life.”
Linda in December
1999 following her
cancer treatment
cancer survivors:
Inspire others! Tell your
story in the next edition
of Network News. Contact
editor Wendy Hall at
whall@cbcn.ca for
details.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 5

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6
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Emotional Wellbeing
Meditation and
exercise
help in coping
with breast cancer
By Linda Edgar, RN, PhD
If a pharmaceutical company owned the wonderful discovery of mindfulness for cancer patients,
there would be shouting from the rooftops, and headlines in print and on the web. There would be
drug representatives reaching out to doctors in their offices and hospitals all across the country.
But since mindfulness and exercise aren’t owned by drug companies, not enough people know
about them. I hope that this article will help you get started in understanding, practicing, and
making exercise and mindfulness part of your own life plan. Perhaps you’ll become an educator
and advocate in spreading the word.
Let’s start with exercise. Long gone are the days when
rest was seen as more important than exercise in healing;
when exercise was to be done lightly if at all, and with great
caution. Today science has learned that those who are active
see their risk of developing breast cancer drop by about 30
percent, and those with breast cancer can lower their risk of
recurrence by 50 percent 1 .
Andre Picard, The Globe and Mail’s expert on medical
matters, said that exercise is one of the cheapest and most
effective methods we have for preventing and treating breast
and many other cancers. Exercise can be anything from
grocery shopping and housework to moderately brisk walking
to strenuous workouts in a gym. Plus, whatever you do is
cumulative. That is, you can do 10 minutes here, 10 minutes
later, etc. It all adds up. The aim is to work up to a mere 30
minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week.
1 Anna L. Schwartz and L. Armstrong, (2004) Cancer Fitness. New York:
Fireside Press. Available through amazon.com.
Good health habits are also cumulative – if you don’t smoke or
drink to excess, as well as exercise, your risk of getting breast
cancer can drop by 70 percent 2 . Besides helping to prevent
and treat breast cancer, exercise also makes you happier,
sleep better, be more energetic, have better resistance to
infection, and look and feel better, among other great benefits.
Before you stop reading to go for a walk around the house or
the block, it’s time to introduce mindfulness, sometimes referred
to as mindful meditation. Mindfulness is defined by Jon Kabat-
Zinn as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, nonjudgmentally
in the present moment… Just being in the now.”
Everyone has experienced being mindful from time to time and
paying attention to the present moment, but it takes practice to
strengthen being mindful to reap the benefits. Since only the
present moment is real, we have a limited awareness of the larger
picture of life around and inside us, so that connecting with our
2 McCullough LE et al. (2012) Cancer, Fat or fit: the joint effect of physical
activity, weight gain, and body size on breast cancer risk. DOI: 10.1002/
cncr.27433.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 7

Emotional Wellbeing
true self is both awesome and powerful.
There is scientific evidence that being mindful and able to
regulate our attention can cause positive changes in the
brain. Such changes help us control the primitive parts of the
brain, manage emotions better, strengthen intuition, develop
healthier and happier bodies, and be at peace. And the really
amazing thing is that being mindful is easy. Try it right now by
simply bringing your attention to your breath and how it feels
to be breathing – inhaling and exhaling.
If your mind wanders away from paying attention to your
breathing, gently bring it back to your breath. Continue this
way for about five breaths. Another easy way to practice is to
hold a small object in the palm of your hand, like a raisin or a
small pebble, and pay attention to it, examining it closely and
focusing your mind on it.
According to Chade-Meng Tan, the author of a great new
book called Search Inside Yourself, mindfulness is the mind
just being. It does, however, take lots of practice to be able to
deepen and sustain being aware only of the present moment.
When we practice being mindful we are actually meditating
and doing some mental training. You are training your mind
to focus on the present. Meditation helps the mind become
relaxed and at peace, but at the same time, be alert, focused
and stable.
Tan writes that meditation leads to happiness, meaning that
when the mind is relaxed and alert at the same time, it returns
to its default position, which is happiness. Happiness trumps
pain every time. Thus, happiness is just being. Imagine that
– happiness as an added benefit to preventing and treating
breast cancer!
Motivation
If everyone reading this article accepts that exercise and
mindfulness will make them healthier, happier and help
prevent recurrences of breast cancer, do you think that
everyone is going to exercise more and learn to be mindful?
You are right: the answer is no!
We have just run up against a pervasive, tricky human
condition called, “I’ll start tomorrow” or “It won’t work for me”
or Procrastinationitis. It’s the exact opposite of motivation.
Right now, how motivated are you to exercise and to practice
mindfulness? Here are six stages involved in the process of
taking on a new skill or making a change in your daily life.
Which stage describes you now?
1. Precontemplation. You really haven’t begun to think
seriously about the possibility of making a change.
2. Contemplation. You are considering that it would
actually be good for you to make such a change.
3. Preparation. You make a time and a place to practice,
and set some small reasonable goals for yourself. If you are
planning to walk more, you may buy a new pair of walking
shoes.
4. Action. You start! There will be setbacks from time to
time but you don’t let that stop you and you return to your
practice as soon as possible each time.
5. Maintenance. After about 30 times of practice you will
find that you look forward to your new activity and fit it in
to your schedule without much thought. It’s on the way to
becoming a habit. Good habits are great - we don’t have
to work to keep them, they keep us! Habits only come with
practice…. 30 to 60 times of practice.
6. Relapse. Life has a way of upsetting our plans. Should
you for whatever reason stop your practice, accept that it’s
part of the change process and start back at stage 2. If you
give up after only a few sessions, research has shown that
you haven’t actually had enough practice to experience
the results. You have merely observed yourself, and cannot
know whether it’s for you or not.
Coping with new ideas
To cope well with life and whatever life brings means that you
actively problem solve through life’s challenges and take full
advantage of the newest findings for health and well-being.
Even though you may believe that learning new skills can be
critical to your health, it isn’t easy to change old patterns. And
that’s not surprising as we’ve learned our ways of thinking and
behaving extremely well from childhood. To become motivated
even to learn a simple new skill that has enormous potential
for you isn’t as simple as we’d like.
Eleanor Roosevelt said that a human life is like a candle …
sometimes it has to struggle for brightness. Our struggle
for brightness is made easier as we understand more
today about how the brain works and the part we play in
determining our thoughts.
In my book on coping, I explain how most of life consists of
facts over which we have little or no control; that every fact
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networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Emotional Wellbeing
leads to a thought; and that it is our thoughts that lead to our
feelings. We can’t change the facts of our lives but we do have
complete control over our thoughts. As our brain hears less
negative thoughts that we substitute for the ones that make us
feel bad, it responds to the better thoughts and overrides the
negative ones.
Don’t resist or fight negative thoughts, accept and change
them. Realize what your first pessimistic thought is, and gently
put a positive thought in its place. The secret to this astonishing
turn of events is that the brain responds to whatever messages
we give it, whether we believe them or not.
More on motivation
Now let’s return to motivation. Motivation needs three
particular kinds of thinking. First, believe that whatever new
change you are making is one that you can enjoy and feel
completely involved with.
Second, imagine what you want to achieve. Research has
found that even before events happen, the brain begins to
turn our thoughts and feelings into actions to make that event
more likely to take place. As Marc Lesser writes in his book,
Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less, “In a sense, we
learn from the past what to predict for the future and then we
live the future we expect.” So imagining or visualizing what
we want to happen in learning a new habit can help make it
happen, just as athletes visualize themselves scoring, winning,
and playing well.
Third, rely on your ability to be resilient, to bounce back from
setbacks and find ways to overcome obstacles along the
way. We all fail and fail often at things large and small. We
forget that failure is an essential part of success. However,
if you usually doubt your ability to follow through and reach
your goal, you may be a closet pessimist. If that is you, don’t
feel badly, because as you read in the above paragraph it’s
not your first negative thought but your second less negative
thought that counts. You don’t even have to believe your
positive thought – your brain feels it and will act on it. Hard to
believe but true!
One last point to emphasize over and over is that trying– just
a few times - is not enough, and certainly not grounds for
deciding change isn’t for you. Practice at least 30 times before
you pass judgment, and by then you will be convinced of the
advantages. What if a new habit could revolutionize your life
and you’d never know because you didn’t practice enough!
To sum up, exercise and mindful meditation are two welltested
ways to become healthier and happier. Why not
practice them both? Recognize how motivated you are and
how to get closer to actually taking action by using your coping
skills. You have already taken steps along your journey by
reading this article. Remember the present is what we have
and as it turns out it’s also what we need. Remember too that
the brain responds to the thoughts we give it – so go ahead
and put in some hopeful, optimistic, determined and practical
thoughts. Do your job by practicing and the brain will follow.
The books mentioned in the article are suggested for further
reading;
Linda Edgar (2011, 2012) Mastering the Art of Coping in Good
times and Bad. www.artofcoping.com, available in English and
French.
Jon Kabat –Zinn (1990) Full Catastrophe Living: Using the
Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and
Illness. New York: Delacorte Press.
Marc Lesser. (2009) Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less.
Novata, Ca: New World Library.
Cheng-Meng Tan (2012) Search Inside Yourself. New York:
Harper One.
Webinar series:
Coping skills for breast cancer patients
The Canadian Breast Cancer Network will be hosting a threepart
webinar series that will feature Dr. Linda Edgar and will
focus on developing and improving coping skills for breast
cancer patients. These one-hour webinars will be free of
charge and will provide participants from across Canada with
the opportunity to learn practical tips on how to improve their
coping skills. These sessions will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Time on October 23, November 6 and November 20,
2012. To participate in these webinars, you will need access
to a computer with an internet connection and a phone. All
calls will be toll-free. For more information or to register, e-mail
Rebecca at rwilson@cbcn.ca.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 9

Healthy Living
Dragon boating
an escape for breast cancer patients
Breast cancer may be the common link between paddlers in Calgary’s Sistership dragon boat
team, but it’s not something they talk about much.
“I’d say cancer brought us together,” said paddler Deidre
Palik, “but for the most part, it’s just about getting on with
dragon boating.”
Founded in 1998, Sistership is a competitive dragon boat
team made up of breast cancer survivors in Calgary.
Dragon boating is a popular sport among women with a
history of breast cancer. The movement was sparked in
1996 when Vancouver sports medicine specialist Dr. Don
McKenzie brought together 24 breast cancer patients to form
a dragon boat team. At the time, doctors recommended breast
cancer patients limit exercising their upper bodies to prevent
lymphedema, a painful condition that can develop after breast
surgery that causes swelling of the arm and chest.
But McKenzie wanted to test that theory and see whether
the repetitive, upper body exercise of paddling could actually
prevent lymphedema. None of the women developed the
condition from paddling.
In 1998, McKenzie wrote an article about the team that was
published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Since
then, dragon boating for breast cancer patients has grown into
a worldwide movement, with more than 150 teams sprouting
up in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and many
other countries.
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networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Healthy Living
That same year, Sistership started in Calgary, inspired by the
original Vancouver group. Since then, more than 200 breast
cancer patients have signed up to try their hand at the sport.
“I felt like it was the reason that I had been
presented with breast cancer,” Palik said.
“Honestly, it was like the gate to a whole
new piece of my life.”
But Palik is quick to say Sistership is not a cancer support
group. While teammates will lend an ear if someone is going
through a difficult time, she said the mandate is “more about
healthy living and getting on with it.” Once the team pushes
off from the dock, padding is their escape from breast cancer,
she said.
“A lot of these girls have never been on a sports team before,”
she said. “When they get on the boat, not only do they find a
way to survive, they find a way to thrive.”
Palik, who has been paddling for six years, said the sport
transformed her life. From the moment she attended her first
meeting, she felt connected to the sport.
“I felt like it was the reason that I had been presented with
breast cancer,” Palik said. “Honestly, it was like the gate to a
whole new piece of my life.”
As soon as the ice melts on Calgary’s Glenmore Reservoir,
Palik said the paddlers and their coach are on the water. The
team competes in about four festivals a year, and has raced in
cities across Canada, from Victoria, B.C., to Sydney, N.S. They
don’t always win, but Palik said winning for them “is the mere
fact that we’re in a boat, too.”
Since they began, Palik said the team has lost more than a boat
load of its members to the disease. “It can be difficult,” she
said, her voice breaking with emotion. “A couple of years ago,
we lost a very dear member. But she was so competitive, truly
to honour her, you get back in that boat and you keep fighting.”
Before racing against other breast cancer dragon boat teams,
Sistership releases 22 doves, signifying the number of seats in
a dragon boat, to honour paddlers whose lives were claimed
by the disease. The ceremony is emotional, Palik said, but it
also helps send a message that a breast cancer diagnosis isn’t
a death sentence.
“They can see that despite the fact that we’re all very emotional
at this moment, that there’s strength in us, that there’s a day
after breast cancer and a life after breast cancer,” she said.
“What we want to give out and express is hope.”
Danny Ng, co-chair of Calgary Dragon Boat Society, said he
was touched the first time he saw the dove ceremony.
“It hits you in the heart to see something like that, knowing
where they came from,” said Ng. “Through all the hardship,
they bond together through the sport of dragon boating.”
Source: Thandi Fletcher, The Calgary Herald, http://www.calgaryherald.com/
health/Dragon+boating+escape+breast+cancer+patients/7130568/story.
html#ixzz24xTEu6dt , August 23, 2012. Reprinted with permission of The
Calgary Herald.
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Advocacy
Why share your
breast cancer story
Why survivor advocacy is important
– and not as intimidating as it sounds
By Jenn McNeil
Everyone has a story, and every breast cancer patient and survivor has a story
about their journey and the impact that this disease has had on their life. Each
survivor brings a unique voice to the breast cancer experience based on many
variable factors. Over the past few years working with the Canadian Breast
Cancer Network, I have had the privilege of listening to many breast cancer
survivors share their very powerful stories and I am always amazed at the strength, courage and
determination that they all show. Each journey is unique; however, there are often similarities
experienced by patients and survivors.
When asked about their breast cancer experience, most
survivors can identify positive aspects of their journey, such
as meeting new people, realizing their own strength and
experiencing the love and support of others. Everyone I’ve
spoken with can also identify challenges and obstacles that
they experienced as they went through their journey, such as
the impact that the disease and treatment had on their daily
life, adjusting to a new normal, the psychosocial and physical
effects of the disease and the financial burden of a breast
cancer diagnosis.
As the voice of breast cancer survivors across Canada, the
Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) aims to engage
breast cancer survivors and patients to provide them with
the opportunity and platform to share their experiences and
help affect change to improve the lives of both breast cancer
survivors and patients across Canada. CBCN seeks to support
breast cancer survivors by empowering them to advocate for
themselves and on behalf of other survivors. We strive to do
this by providing survivors with advocacy training, support,
education and the opportunity to meet decision makers.
Oftentimes when people hear the word advocacy they are
intimidated. The idea of meeting with decision makers or
speaking with the media can seem like an overwhelming
task that might be better suited so someone who has more
experience working with governments or media; however,
CBCN believes that the people who are the most appropriate to
speak about challenges and improvements needed for breast
cancer patients and survivors are those who have lived through
or are living with this disease. The patients and survivors are
the experts on knowing the direct impact of this disease and
therefore are the ones who should be dictating where the gaps
are and what needs to be done in order to improve the lives of
themselves and others.
CBCN holds survivor advocate training workshops throughout
the year at a provincial and national level to help provide breast
cancer survivors with the confidence to effectively share their
story with decision makers and help affect change across the
country. We are always looking for additional participants to
help continue to raise awareness around the needs of breast
cancer survivors and patients. If you would like to find out
more information on how you can become involved and share
your story to affect change please contact Jenn McNeil at
jmcneil@cbcn.ca or at our offices 1-800-685-8820.
12
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Plenary Sessions and Workshops
• The Chronic Care Model
• The Science of Compression
• Lymphedema Basics-101
• Self-Care Management
• Challenging Case Studies
• Creating Your Own Case Studies
• Additional Treatment Options
• Hospital Program Clinicians Session
• Exercise and Lymphedema
• Ethnodrama-Theatrical Presentation
• Ask the Expert Panel
Special CBCF luncheon
guest speaker
Professor Miles Johnston
Advances in Lymphatic Research
Register before
September 14
for best pricing and
workshop selection
Become a member today
to receive reduced
conference rates and a
subscription to Pathways
Featuring International Experts
• Anna Towers • David Keast
• Robert Harris • Margie McNeely
• Andreas and Hildegard Wittlinger of
the Vodder Akademie in Austria
plus additional workshop facilitators
NEW this year
You can now register online
through our website
www.lymphontario.ca
Take advantage of the SPECIAL LAO CONFERENCE RATE of $119
when booking your stay at the Courtyard Downtown Marriott
With such a low hotel price, why not make a weekend out of it!
Book your reservation by calling 416-924-0611 before
September 25, 2012 as rooms are subject to availability
8 Lymphedema Matters
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 Summer 2012
13

Treatment Talk
Oncotype DX:
A test to help breast
cancer patients
personalize
their treatment
Have you recently been newly diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer? Are you struggling to
make treatment choices? More than 23,000 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer
this year, but for some women, chemotherapy may not add any significant medical advantage.
Cancer is an extremely complex disease: each patient’s cancer
contains different gene expression profiles which make up the
unique biology of the patient’s tumour. As a result, certain patients
may be more likely than others to have aggressive disease or to
respond to certain therapies. Currently, traditional clinical and
pathological measures like patient’s age or tumour size and grade
offer limited insight into the underlying biology of your cancer,
which makes tailoring your treatment difficult. This is where
Oncotype DX comes in.
Oncotype DX is a diagnostic test that helps identify which women
with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer are more
likely to benefit from adding chemotherapy to their hormonal
therapy. This test also helps an individual woman understand
the likelihood of having her breast cancer return. Oncotype DX
provides important information that you and your doctor may use
when making decisions about treatment.
After a breast cancer diagnosis, doctors and patients work
together to plan an appropriate course of treatment following
surgery; the goal is to keep breast cancer from coming back. One
key step in treatment planning is to determine how beneficial
certain types of treatment, such as chemotherapy, may be for an
individual patient. Another step is to understand the individual
likelihood of having your cancer return.
Therefore, learning as much as you can about your breast cancer
tumour right now can help you and your healthcare team develop
a more informed treatment plan.
While it is upsetting to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer, it is
important to gather as much information as possible to determine
a treatment plan that is right for you. Because every patient’s
breast cancer is unique, your doctor will analyze your cancer to
design a plan based on the specific characteristics of your breast
tumour. To help your doctor understand your tumour, many
factors will be assessed. These factors include your age, the size
of your invasive tumour, whether your tumour has spread and
whether there are estrogen receptors and HER2 receptors on the
cells of your tumour.
In addition to these factors, the Oncotype DX test provides more
information about what is happening inside your tumour. The test
measures the activity of 21 different genes, 16 of which relate
to both benefit from chemotherapy and the chance of cancer
coming back.
Oncotype DX gives you and your doctor a better understanding
of how your tumour behaves. This important information helps
determine which treatment to use. As Oncotype DX provides
individualized information about your tumour, it enables the
treatment to be tailored specifically for you.
The Oncotype DX test is appropriate for women who are newly
diagnosed with early-stage, lymph node-negative and estrogen
receptor-positive breast cancer. Additionally, certain women with
estrogen receptor-positive, lymph node-positive breast cancer may
wish to discuss with their doctor if the Oncotype DX test would be
of benefit to their care.
Your doctor will receive a report with the results of your Oncotype
DX test. The report contains the Recurrence Score result, which is
a number between 0 and 100.
Women with lower Recurrence Score values have a lower risk that
their cancer will return. These women also have a cancer that
14
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Treatment Talk
is less likely to respond to chemotherapy, so their doctors may
recommend treatment with hormone therapy alone.
Women with higher Recurrence Score values have a stronger
change that their breast cancer will return. While, this can
be distressing, the good news is that women with higher
Recurrence Score values are more likely to gain a large benefit
from chemotherapy. For these women, having chemotherapy (in
addition to hormonal therapy) may help reduce the chance that
their cancer will come back in the future.
It is important to understand that a lower Recurrence Score result
does not mean that there is no chance that a woman’s breast
cancer will return. Also, a higher Recurrence Score does not
mean that a woman’s breast cancer will definitely return.
The Oncotype DX test results also provide additional information,
such as the activity levels of the estrogen and progesterone
receptors in your tumour, to help further guide your treatment.
Oncotype DX is performed on a small amount of your tumour
tissue that was removed during your original surgery (lumpectomy,
mastectomy or core biopsy). This tissue is routinely saved and
stored at the hospital where you had your surgery. When your
doctor orders the Oncotype DX test, the hospital will send a
sample of your tissue to Genomic Health, the laboratory that
performs the Oncotype DX test. You will not have to go through
any additional surgery or procedure to get the Oncotype DX test.
It is important for your doctor to request the Oncotype DX test
before starting any treatment with chemotherapy, since the
Oncotype DX test is intended to help determine whether or not
you are likely to benefit from chemotherapy in addition to your
hormonal therapy. If you do not know the stage of your breast
tumour or the estrogen receptor or nodal status, please check
with your doctor.
It will typically take 10 to 14 days from the date the tumour sample
is received by Genomic Health for the results to be available. The
Oncotype DX test results are sent to your doctor so that he or she
can discuss the results with you and answer your questions.
The test can only be ordered by a licensed healthcare
professional, such as your doctor.
The Oncotype DX test is reimbursed publicly for qualified
patients in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, with a
number of provinces considering public funding for qualified
breast cancer patients.
“As cancer specialists, we would like to offer each patient a risk
assessment and treatment plan that is based on the best possible
information and is specific for her,” said Sandy Sehdev, M.D.,
oncologist in the William Osler Health Centre’s Oncology Clinic
in Brampton, Ontario. “This will allow chemotherapy to be used
where it will be most beneficial to women and spare some women
from having chemotherapy, when it is not needed.”
The Oncotype DX test is based on
genomics--the study of complex sets
of genes, their functions, and how they
interact with one another. Another way to
think about it is as a small network of genes
and how they work together to influence the
tumour biology and behavior.
Multiple studies, including a recent study from British Columbia,
have shown that the knowledge of the Oncotype DX test result
changes treatment recommendations in patients with ER+
invasive early-stage breast cancer by 30 percent on average.
Today, more than 5,000 women from across Canada and over
300,000 patients worldwide have benefited from the information
provided by this test.
The Oncotype DX test is based on genomics--the study of
complex sets of genes, their functions, and how they interact with
one another. Another way to think about it is as a small network of
genes and how they work together to influence the tumour biology
and behavior.
The key to effectively using genomics to make decisions to
improve cancer treatment lies in better understanding which sets
of genes and gene interactions affect different subsets of cancers.
Genomic Health, as well as other companies and academic
research centers continue to carry out studies in an effort to better
understand which patterns of gene expression within a tumour are
linked to cancer therapy response. In breast cancer, studies are
in progress to develop clinical tests to guide selection of specific
drugs and/or drug classes, such as taxanes, anthracyclines,
angiogenesis inhibitors, and PARP inhibitors to provide patients
with more targeted therapies.
The field of genomics is a dynamic area of research--growing and
evolving very quickly as more and more researchers grasp the
potential of this exciting branch of science.
To learn about patients who have used genomic testing
to personalize their breast cancer treatment, visit: www.
mybreastcancertreatment.org or call 1-866-662-6897.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 15

Research Roundup
A digest of Canadian and international research of interest to breast cancer survivors
Breast cancer studies look
at a robot, diet, the LGBT
experience, heart health and
breast-conserving surgery
Protecting the hearts of cancer patients
Dr. Sean Virani, director of heart failure at Vancouver General
Hospital, has been looking at the impact of cancer therapies on
the heart, trying to find a way to better support the heart through
the chemotherapy and radiation treatment process, and beyond.
Dr. Virani is co-leading a research trial to specifically look at
breast cancer patients who are receiving specific types of
chemotherapy which are known to be toxic to the heart. The
trial has just received three years of funding from the Canadian
Cancer Society totaling $172,000.
Women battling breast cancer are at risk for developing
microscopic scar tissue in the heart, leading to abnormal
contraction and other symptoms of heart failure because
of a common family of drugs used during chemotherapy:
anthracyclines. While effective, anthracyclines are known to
have a negative impact on the heart.
In addition, many women are being diagnosed and treated for
breast cancer later in life and may already be suffering from
common heart problems such as hypertension. Pre-existing
heart problems make the likelihood of experiencing cardiotoxicity
from anthracyclines even greater.
In September, Dr. Virani was to enroll 78 women in the sixmonth,
placebo-controlled trial. He will examine how eplerenone,
a common medication used for preventing or reversing heart
damage in heart attack patients, can impact the quality of life,
and ultimately scar tissue formation on the heart, for breast
cancer patients when used in tandem with anthracycline.
The funding for Dr. Virani’s research is one of 28 new innovation
grants provided by the Canadian Cancer Society to researchers
across the country. The goal of the grant program is to support
unconventional concepts, approaches or methodologies to
address problems in cancer research.
For more information, please contact
Dr. Virani at 604-875-5092.
Source: Sheila Dong, Canadian Cancer Society
UBC project examines the LGBT experience with breast and gynecological cancers
Researchers at the University of British Columbia are leading
the first nationwide project on how sexual and gender minorities
experience cancer. Led by Prof. Mary Bryson, Director of the
Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, and
funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the
three-year Cancer’s Margins project will look at how lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender cancer patients and members of
their support networks in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario,
Quebec, and Nova Scotia experience breast and gynecological
cancers from screening and diagnosis to care, treatment
and support networks. Researchers want to understand what
individuals value about their care and support networks, how
they educate themselves, and what they consider culturally
competent care. “People try to look for health information
in communities that reflect themselves,” said Bryson, also a
professor in the Faculty of Education. “We’ve found that these
groups don’t have access to cancer health care, or cancer
support communities that map onto their own support networks
and community values.” For more information, visit the Cancer’s
Margins website at www.queercancer.org.
Source: University of British Columbia news release, “UBC project
examines the LGBT experience with breast and gynecological cancers”,
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/08/02/ubc-project-examines-thelgbt-experience-with-breast-and-gynecological-cancers/,
August 2, 2012.
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networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Research Roundup
High-carb diet tied to breast cancer for some
Older women who eat a lot of starchy and sweet carbohydrates
may be at increased risk of a less common but deadlier form of
breast cancer, according to a European study.
The findings from a study of nearly 335,000 European women,
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not
prove that sweets, French fries and white bread contribute to
breast cancer-- but they do hint at a potential factor in a little
understood form of breast cancer.
Specifically, the study found a link between high “glycemic
load” and breast cancers that lack receptors for the female sex
hormone estrogen, so-called “ER-negative” breast cancers.
A high glycemic load essentially means a diet heavy in foods that
cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, such as processed foods made
from white flour, potatoes and sweets.
The study, conducted by Isabelle Romieu of the International Agency
for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, looked at nearly 335,000
women who took part in a long-running European study on nutrition
factors and cancer risk.
Of these, 11,576 developed breast cancer over a dozen years.
Overall, there was no link between breast cancer risk and
glycemic load, as estimated from diet questionnaires the women
completed at the study’s start.
But the picture changed when the researchers focused on
postmenopausal women with ER-negative cancer. Among
women in the top 20 percent for glycemic load, there were 158
cases of breast cancer, versus 11 cases in the bottom 20 percent
- a 36 percent higher risk.
ER-negative tumours account for about one-quarter of breast
cancers. They typically have a poorer prognosis than ER-positive
cancers because they tend to grow faster and are not sensitive to
hormone-based therapies.
Sources: 1. Isabelle Romieu et al (2012), Dietary glycemic index and
glycemic load and breast cancer risk in the European Prospective
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Am J Clin Nutr August
2012 vol. 96 no. 2 345-355, http://www.ajcn.org/content/96/2/345.
abstract 2.http://www.vancouversun.com/health/women/High+carb+diet+
tied+breast+cancer+risk+some/7000055/story.html, July 27, 2012
Canadian robot can detect and treat breast cancer
A Canadian robot that could transform the early detection and
treatment of breast cancer is within months of being tested on
patients. The main advantages of the robot are its accuracy
and the ability to scan, test and remove a lump all at once
instead of patients having separate appointments for each
step. The spiderlike robot attaches to any magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) machine. If a lump is found, the doctor gives the
co-ordinates to the robot, which instantly performs a precise
biopsy to determine if the lump is benign or a cancerous
tumour. Called IGAR, the robot was developed by the Centre of
Surgical Invention and Innovation, which is housed at McMaster
University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario. The
robot will be tested on up to 120 patients in Hamilton, Toronto,
Quebec and the United States by early 2013.
Source: http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/757402--hamiltonrobot-can-detect-and-treat-breast-cance,
August 1, 2012
One in five women with breast cancer has a reoperation after breast conserving surgery
One in five women with breast cancer who opt for breast
conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy have a reoperation,
according to a British national study of 55,297 women published
on bmj.com. This increases to one in three of those women who
have carcinoma in-situ disease. This information on the risk of
reoperation should help women in making the decision about
whether to undergo breast conserving surgery or mastectomy.
When combined with radiotherapy, breast conserving surgery
produces similar survival rates to those achieved with
mastectomy alone. But because some tumours are difficult to
detect, breast conserving surgery may result in their inadequate
removal and lead to another operation. This reoperation may
involve another breast conserving operation or a mastectomy.
Lead author, Dr David Cromwell, Senior Lecturer in Health
Services Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, said: “Breast conserving surgery with radiotherapy
is as effective as mastectomy but if women choose conserving
surgery, there is a risk of having another operation. Before this
study, it was unclear what that risk was but now women can be
better informed.”
Source: R. Jeevan et al (2012) Reoperation
rates after breast conserving surgery
for breast cancer among women
in England: retrospective study
of hospital episode statistics.
BMJ2012;345:e4505,
http://www.bmj.com/
content/345/bmj.e4505,
http://www.bmj.com/pressreleases/2012/07/12/onefive-women-breast-cancerhas-reoperation-after-breastconserving-surge,
July 12, 2012.
Note to researchers:
To share your research
results with Canadian breast
cancer survivors, e-mail a notice
to Wendy Hall at
whall@cbcn.ca for publication
in Network News.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 17

PICK A
FIGHT
WITH CANCER
ALL THE RESOURCES YOUNG ADULTS NEED
TO FIGHT THE FRIGHT
CANCERFIGHTCLUB.com
Helping young adults in their fight
18
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Clinical Trials
Recruiting participants
for studies of exercise, art therapy
and counselling for breast cancer
Participating in clinical trials can be a good way for breast cancer survivors to gain access to novel
treatments to which they might not otherwise have access. Clinical trial participants also help
researchers make new discoveries that benefit future breast cancer patients. This article presents
four clinical trials that are recruiting participants across Canada.
Community-based exercise
program for well cancer survivors
Hamilton Health Sciences has teamed up with the YMCA of
Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford and McMaster University to
conduct a clinical trial of a community-based exercise program
for well cancer survivors (CanWell) at any stage of their cancer
care or disease. The goal of CanWell (www.canwellprogram.
ca) is to provide a community-based exercise and education
program that is based on the best available evidence. Another
goal is to train YMCA fitness staff in providing safe and effective
exercise for people with cancer.
CanWell is a 12-week supervised exercise and education
program located at Les Chater YMCA in Hamilton, Ontario.
Participants in the program learn how to exercise safely based
on their unique needs related to their cancer, cancer treatment,
exercise interests, and personal goals. Each exercise program
consists of strength and endurance exercises with participants
having access to a pool and all other facilities at the YMCA.
As CanWell is an on-going program, participants have the choice
to participate in research evaluating the effectiveness of the
program or not. Those who do not participate in the research
component have similar access to supervision and the exercise
programs and will also benefit from the effects of exercise.
If you are interested in participating, download the CanWell
referral form (at http://www.canwellprogram.ca/canwellfiles/
ymca_hhs_referral_form.pdf) and talk to your doctor. For more
information, please e-mail Oren Cheifetz, Physiotherapist,
Hamilton Health Sciences, at research@canwellprogram.ca or
call the Hamilton YMCA at 905-529-7102.
Art Therapy Intervention for
Breast Cancer Patients
The Cedars Breast Clinic and Cedars CanSupport based in
the McGill University Health Centre are conducting a clinical
pilot study on group art therapy for breast cancer patients.
As studies continue to debate the effects of quality of life on
survival, increased attention is being focused on investigating
complementary therapies to boost overall total health in cancer
patients. Art therapy is an interesting growing field, which
has shown promise to positively influence quality of life in the
pediatric and adult oncology population alike. As there is a
paucity of well controlled studies in this field, the investigators
propose to study the impact of art therapy sessions for women
living with breast cancer with quantitative and qualitative analysis
of emotional health and physical symptoms. The results of the
investigators’ study will have widespread applicability to oncology
programs that wish to offer/implement such sessions to their
palliative and non-palliative outpatients in an effort to address the
important concept of whole person care.
If you are interested in
participating, please
contact Kate Laux,
Art Therapist/Cedars
CanSupport (MA, ATPQ)
at artcanheal@gmail.
com or 514-934-1934
x35315.
Note to researchers:
If you are looking for breast
cancer survivors to participate in a
clinical trial, why not submit a notice
for publication in Network News?
For details, contact Wendy Hall
at whall@cbcn.ca.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 19

Clinical Trials
Moving Forward After
Breast Cancer
A study of online support and education for young
breast cancer survivors
“I was hoping to learn, to know how others are doing who are
going through what I am. I received more than I was expecting
- very good friends, supporting, encouraging, understanding me.”
Moving Forward After Breast Cancer is a study that connects
young women survivors of breast cancer in a ten-week online
support group led by a professional counselor or a peer
facilitator. This study tests the effectiveness of coping skills
education and professional or peer-led online support groups.
The study provides women with an opportunity to learn about
effective coping strategies and to connect with other young
breast cancer survivors.
The study will also look at whether the online support group can:
• reduce cancer-related distress
• change perceptions of how much breast cancer interferes
with physical well-being
• increase confidence in coping with future challenges
“I was able to talk about important things. I felt a lot better - I
couldn’t talk with others in my life outside of the group.”
CancerChatCanada is currently recruiting eligible participants
through the spring 2013. Women with a home computer and
internet access will be able to participate entirely from the
comfort of their own home. Everyone who takes part in this
study will receive a free workbook that gives information about
coping after cancer and a relaxation CD.
To be eligible, you must be:
• 45 years of age, or younger
• Not more than 3 years past diagnosis
• Able to speak and write in English
For more information or to register, please visit http://
cancerchatcanada.ca. The principal investigator for this study is
Dr. Joanne Stephen (1-800-663-3333 x 4960) at the BC Cancer
Agency. The study is funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer
Research Alliance.
Couplelinks: Online workshop for
young breast cancer survivors and
their male partners
Dr. Joanne Stephen is also a co-investigator in a study relating
to female breast cancer survivors and their male partners. The
purpose of this project is to test an online educational program
geared to the practical and emotional needs of young couples
coping with breast cancer (e.g., communication and intimacy,
fertility concerns, communication with young children). The
program entails reading the web-based materials and participating
in six weekly relationship enhancement exercises with your
partner. The course is facilitated by a mental health professional.
Eighty couples from across Canada will participate but only half
will receive the workshop during the study, and the other half
will be wait-listed. The two groups will then be compared on the
same questionnaires to determine if Couplelinks.ca was helpful.
Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires at
the start of their participation, and then at two-month and
five-month time points. Total maximum time commitment is
approximately 10 hours over a five-month period. Enrollment
began in the spring of 2011 and will continue for approximately
three years.
For a couple to be eligible for the study:
• The woman must be 45 years of age or younger at the time of
diagnosis (there is no restriction on the age of the male partner);
• She must have a diagnosis of breast cancer without
metastases;
• She must be involved in a committed relationship with a
male partner;
• She must be within 36 months of her original diagnosis;
• She can be at any stage of treatment or recovery from
treatment; however, it can be easier to participate once
active treatment has been completed.
For more information, visit www.couplelinks.ca. If you would
like to participate in this program, please contact the facilitators
at cancerchatcanada@bccancer.bc.ca or at 1-800-663.3333 x
4960 or 4966.
The principal investigator for this study is Dr. Karen Fergus at
Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre. The study is funded by the
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance/Canadian Breast
Cancer Foundation.
20
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

Resource Directory
Nova Scotia seminar: Living Beyond Cancer
Capital Health and Cancer Care Nova Scotia have teamed up to
bring the community a new class called “Living Beyond Cancer:
What Happens Now”. The class will provide you with information
about what to expect after your cancer treatment. Topics include:
long and short-term side effects of cancer treatment, physical
activity, nutrition, coping and adjustment, services available and
sexual health concerns. This education session is also a great
place to connect and network with other cancer survivors, as
well as members of the health community. To register, please call
902-473-6567 (The Sunshine Room, Victoria General Building
of the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital) and ‘press 2’ to leave a
message on the Education Session Registration line. A member
of The Sunshine Room staff will call you back to complete the
registration process. For more information, visit http://abcn.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/Living-Beyond-Cancer-poster.pdf.
Peer support for young women with breast cancer
Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who’s been there. Let
Rethink Breast Cancer connect you with a young woman
who experienced breast cancer at a similar age and stage of
life as you. Peer support volunteers are ready to listen, offer
skilled emotional support and share their experiences and
understanding. One-to-one support is available over the phone
or by e-mail, as you need it. This service is free and confidential
to women anywhere across Canada. For more information,
or to become a peer support volunteer, e-mail Shawna at
support@rethinkbreastcancer.com or call 416-920-0980
(toll-free 1-866-738-4465) x 228.
Getting Back on Track: Life After Breast Cancer Treatment
This informative, 211-page book, published by the Canadian
Breast Cancer Foundation—Ontario and the Princess Margaret
Hospital, addresses some of the normal concerns that breast
cancer survivors have during the transition from active care
to the rest of their lives. During this time, you may have
many mixed feelings. One moment you may be thrilled that
your active treatment is over. The next moment you may feel
abandoned, or anxious that your cancer may recur. This book
will give you some remedies and coping skills that may help
you get back on track. Included are chapters on your health
care needs now; the residual side effects of breast cancer; the
importance of a healthy lifestyle; your emotional, spiritual and
social needs; relationships and finances. An appendix lists
Ontario resources for breast cancer survivors. To order a copy,
contact resourcesON@cbcf.org or call 416-815-1313 or toll-free
1-866-373-6313.
Support Saturdays - Toronto program
registration opens for January 2013
session
Rethink Breast Cancer created Support
Saturdays to bring together families
raising babies and young children while
also recovering from breast cancer,
because we know that connection and
camaraderie are key to living well and helping your family
cope with this life-changing experience. With the program
now in its sixth year, registration is open for a January 2013
start. The program takes place in the mornings over eight
consecutive Saturdays.
Need support, but you’re not in Toronto? Rethink offers
home support in both Toronto and Calgary, and a number
of other resources and programs that can be accessed
nationally - including two books to help you talk to your kids.
For more information or to register for family support, please
contact Shawna Ginsberg: 416-920-0980 x 228 or Shawna@
rethinkbreastcancer.com.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 21

Resource Directory
22
networknews Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3

CALENDAR
To receive regular notification of
upcoming events, try CBCN’s monthly
e-mail newsletter, Outreach.
To subscribe, e-mail your name and
e-mail address to Wendy Hall at
whall@cbcn.ca.
October 9, November 13, December 11: Metastatic
support group call. Join other young women with
metastatic breast cancer for a telephone networking and
support session - a support group without leaving home! These
interactive sessions are designed to address your specific
concerns. Topics include, but are not limited to: hopes and
fears, work, children, communicating with friends and family
and living with ongoing and changing treatment. These calls
are facilitated by Susan Glaser, MSW, Evelyn Lauder Breast
Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York
and are open to new and previous participants. Calls are FREE
and can be accessed both nationally and internationally. Calls
take place at 8 p.m. ET on the dates above. The national call-in
number is 800-804-6968. The international call-in number is
647-723-7260. The access code is 0284559. For information,
contact the Young Survivor Coalition at 646-257-3000 or
877-972-1011.
OCTOBER 13, CHICAGO: “MOVING FORWARD WITH BREAST
CANCER,” THE SIXTH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE
METASTATIC BREAST CANCER NETWORK (MBCN), takes
place at Northwestern University, Robert H. Lurie Medical
Research Center, 303 E. Superior St. The agenda includes
talks by medical experts from Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive
Cancer Center and other Chicago institutions. Topics include:
current treatment for metastatic breast cancer; clinical trials
vs. standard of care; future research; bone metastases;
surgical/radiation therapies for lung and liver metastases;
complementary therapies such as acupuncture, Chinese
herbology and supplements; and a panel of those living with
metastatic breast cancer. For more information, or to register,
telephone MBCN at 1-888-500-0370.
October 23, November 6, November 20: A THREE-PART
WEBINAR SERIES ON COPING WITH BREAST CANCER. Sponsored
by the Canadian Breast Cancer Network, the webinars will
feature Dr. Linda Edgar talking about developing and improving
coping skills. These one-hour webinars will be free of charge
and will provide participants from across Canada with the
opportunity to learn practical tips on how to improve their
coping skills. These sessions will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Time. To participate in these webinars, you will need
access to a computer with an internet connection and a phone.
All calls will be toll-free. For more information or to register,
e-mail Rebecca at rwilson@cbcn.ca.
October 17, Canada-wide: Second Annual National
Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day. This is an initiative
designed to promote education, awareness and access for
women who may wish to consider post-mastectomy breast
reconstruction. It is a collaborative effort that includes plastic
surgeons specializing in breast surgery, plastic surgery
nurse specialists, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation,
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, medical device industry
representatives and breast cancer support organizations. For
information about BRA Day events in your area, please go to
www.bra-day.com or contact Willow at 1-888-778-3100. The
BRA Day website will be updated as information on specific
locations becomes available.
November 1-5, Toronto:
The Young Adult Cancer Canada 6th Annual Survivor
Conference. Meet fellow survivors and supporters, and
experience life-changing moments. The conference will include
workshops, free time to get to know each other, great speakers
to stimulate mind and body, and time to share inspiring stories.
The Survivor Conference is free except for travel costs. You
just need to make it to the venue; your food, accommodations
and program necessities will be provided. There is also a travel
assistance program for those who qualify. For information,
telephone Beth at 1-877-571-7325 or 709-579-7325.
November 2-4, Toronto: Rethink Breast Cancer’s
Breast Fest Film Festival takes place at the Bloor Hot
Docs Cinema at 506 Bloor St. W. For information, visit
www.breastfestfilmfestival.com , or telephone Rethink at
416-920-0980 x225.
November 9-11, Edmonton: “EDUCATE AND REJUVENATE,”
A RETREAT, for women living in remote areas who have had
a breast cancer diagnosis. Gather with other breast cancer
survivors to: Learn new coping techniques and tools for the
unique challenges of life after breast cancer, Share your
journey and connect with others, and Rejuvenate yourself in
your journey with breast cancer. Thanks to funding from the
Public Health Agency of Canada, participation in this retreat
is free of charge for eligible participants. This funding will
cover the cost of travel, accommodations and group meals.
The event is presented by the Canadian Breast Cancer
Network, in partnership with Willow Breast Cancer Support
Canada. To obtain an application, or for more information,
please contact Jenn McNeil at: jmcneil@cbcn.ca or
1-800-685-8820 x224.
Fall 2012 Vol 16, No 3 networknews 23

National Partners
• Breast Cancer Society of Canada
• Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
• Canadian Lymphedema Framework
• Canadian Cancer Society
• Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute
• Canadian Patient Coalition
• Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC)
• Ovarian Cancer Canada
• ReThink Breast Cancer
• Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada
• World Conference on Breast Cancer
Provincial/Territorial Networks
• BC/Yukon Breast & Gynecologic Cancer Alliance
• Breast Cancer Network Nova Scotia
• Manitoba Breast and Women’s Cancer Network
• New Brunswick Breast Cancer Information Partnership
• Northwest Territories Breast Health/Breast Cancer Action
Group
• Nunavut Cancer Network
• Ontario Breast Cancer Exchange Project (OBCEP)
• Prince Edward Island Breast Cancer Information
Partnership
• The Newfoundland and Labrador Lupin Partnership
Provincial/Territorial/Regional/Local Partners
• Amitié Santé 04
• Association à fleur de sein
• Au Seingulier
• Breast Cancer Action Kingston
• Breast Cancer Action Manitoba
• Breast Cancer Action Montréal
• Breast Cancer Action Nova Scotia (BCANS)
• Breast Cancer Action (Ottawa)
• Breast Cancer Action Saskatchewan
• Breast Cancer Centre of Hope (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• Breast Cancer InfoLink (Calgary)
• Breast Cancer Support Services Inc. (Burlington, ON)
• Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund
• Breast Health Centre of the Winnipeg Regional Health
Authority
• Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Ontario Chapter
• Cancer Care Manitoba – Breast Cancer Centre of Hope
• First Nations Breast Cancer Society
• FLOW
• Hereditary Breast & Ovarian Cancer Society of Alberta
• Lymphedema Association of Ontario
• Manitoba Breast Cancer Survivors Chemo Savvy Dragon
Boat Team (Winnipeg)
• Miles to Go Healing Circle - Six Nations (Ontario)
• New Brunswick Breast Cancer Network
• Olive Branch of Hope
• Organisation québécoise des personnes atteintes de
cancer
• Prince Edward Island Breast Cancer Support Group
• Saskatchewan Breast Cancer Connect
• Sauders-Matthey Cancer Prevention Coalition
• Sentier nouveau Inc.
• Sister to Sister: Black Women’s Breast Cancer Support
Group (Halifax, NS)
• Soli-Can
• The Young and the Breastless
• Virage, Hôpital Notre-Dame du CHUM
Key Partners in Other Sectors
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Canada (ALS)
• Anemia Institute of Canada
• Canadian Health Coalition
• Canadian Health Network
• Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
• Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders
• Canadian Prostate Cancer Network/National Association
of Prostate Cancer Support Groups
• Canadian Science Writers’ Association
• DisAlbed Women’s Network Ontario
• Epilepsy Canada
• Early Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Ontario
• HPV and Cervical Health Society
• National Council of Jewish Women of Canada
• National Council of Women of Canada
• Newfoundland and Labrador Women’s Institutes
• Ontario Health Promotion Project
• Ottawa Health Coalition
• Parent Action on Drugs
• Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition
• Women’s Centre of Montreal
• Women, Health and Environments Network
• Women and Rural Economic Development
International Partners
• National Breast Cancer Coalition (Washington, D.C.)
• Philippine Breast Cancer Network
CBCN is represented on the following groups
• Advocare
• Best Medicines Coalition
• Canadian Cancer Action Network (CCAN)
• Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Initiative
• Coalition priorité cancer au Québec
• Community Capacity Building Committee, Canadian
Breast Cancer Initiative, Public Health Agency of Canada
• Episodic Disabilities Network
• Saskatchewan Cancer Advocacy Network
CANADIAN BREAST CANCER NETWORK | 331 COOPER STREET, SUITE 602 OTTAWA ON K2P 0G5 | Toll-Free: 1-800-685-8820
cbcn.ca
Members, Friends, Funding
Partners and Corporate Friends
CBCN gratefully acknowledges
the following individuals
and organizations for their
financial contributions for
this financial year
Member ($25-$99)
Hundreds of individuals and
groups across the country
Friends of CBCN ($100-$499)
Adelphia Floor Surfaces Ltd.
Atkinson Schroeter Design Group
Inc.
B.J. Normand Ltd.
Capital Tile and Flooring Ltd.
Ernesto Cecchetto
Cenovus Employee Foundation
Club Assist Canada
Comfort Mechanical Ltd.
Ella Coulthart
Excelcon Steel Co. Ltd.
Exel Contracting Inc.
Florence Graham
Irdeto Canada Corporation
Labarge Weinstein LLP
Patricia Lee
Manulife Financial
Charlie and Beverly Milbury
Patricia Moore
Nation Drywall Limited
Betty Orr
Pleora Technologies Inc.
R.J. McKee Engineering Ltd.
Mary Rogers
Tempo Design Studio Ltd.
TSMC Design Technology Canada
Inc.
Yves Thibeault
United Way of Greater Toronto
Area
United Way of Peel Region
United Way serving St. John’s
The Winnipeg Foundation
Patti Young
Bronze Level Supporters
($500-$4,999)
Gordon Cetkovski
Colonel By Child Care Centre
Coulthart Family
Reason for Hope Society
Royal Moving and Storage
St. Lucia/Toronto Aid Action Group
TELUS Communications Co.
United Way Ottawa
Silver Level Supporters
($5,000-$24,999)
Alterna Savings & Credit Union
Limited
Mark Anthony Group
United Awareness Group/
Chocolates for Charity
Gold Level Supporters
($25,000-$99,999)
GlaxoSmithKline
Novartis
Roche
Platinum Level Supporters
($100,000 and over)
Sanofi-aventis
Government
Public Health Agency of Canada
Canada Summer Jobs